Dragons
by bride of fire
Summary: Loki is looking for a queen, so Viserys sells Daenerys to him. With time Loki realizes that he might have more use of his new wife than he first thought...
1. The King and the Princess

_A/N: First, English is not my native langauge so I'm very sorry if there's any mistakes! _

_Please note that this story takes place after The Avengers and in the very beginning of Game of Thrones. It will be written from Loki's and Daenerys' POV. If anything is unclear just ask me :)_

_This is based on a fanvideo of mine, since a lot of people wanted me to do a fanfiction version of it. If you would like to check it out you can do it on YouTube: /watch?v=ZxNqf5o0vCs. The fanfic will, obviously, be much more detailed than the video though._

_And at last, than you so much for reading this! Reviews are much appreciated. Now, enjoy! xx, Ylva._

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**LOKI**

Asgard was on fire. Loki stood in the middle of the throne room and watched the fights rage everywhere around him. He had finally done it. Odin was dead, Frigga was locked in her chambers, Thor was unable to protect his people, and Asgard was finally his, as it had always been meant to be.

It had been easy, easier than he had thought actually. Those few Asgardias that still resisted him wouldn't last long before they kneed as well, his army would make sure of that.

_This was his purpose; to rule. It had always been._

"Brother, wait!"

Out of nowhere Thor suddenly bumped into him, and his dense armour hit Loki so hard that it felt like his ribs broke. Furious, he reached for his staff and gave Thor an electric shock that made him shake uncontrollably and eventually fall to the floor.

Loki grimaced and ignored the pain on his left side as he bent over Thor's body.

"It's nice to see you again, _brother_", he hissed and took a hard grip round the mighty god's throat with his hands. Thor coughed heavily. "I've missed you."

For a moment time stood still. The battle cries, the fire and the swings of swords, it all faded away and all he could hear was his and Thor's hearts, beating in out-of-step. It had always been like that; out-of-step, hadn't it? Thor was the light, the hero, whilst he, Loki, was the darkness and the monster that no one dared to look in the eyes. No one except of Thor.

Those blue eyes looked at him right now, and in them Loki could see the arrogant boy that he used to play with as a kid, all the dinners they used to share, that special laugh that only Loki could make him utter, the look on Thor's face when he held his hammer for the first time... He could see Jane Foster, the mortal woman who Thor loved, Loki's betrayal from Thor's point of view, the children that he would never have, lightning bolts in the sky, Odin's death, summer nights blurry from too much mead, tears streaming down their mother's face, smiles of people who loved him, Asgard in all its pride, and then at last Loki's own reflection staring back at him.

Loki swallowed. Thor would just be in the way for everything, he had to get rid of him. He was no longer his friend, all that was gone, and all that mattered was right then, with Loki's hand around Thor's neck, pushing him to the ground. He would not kill him with the staff though, Thor had after all always been nice to him and he deserved better than a death caused by magic.

He took a deep breath.

"Goodbye, brother", he said as he grabbed the dagger in his pocket.

In slow motion he watched the blade penetrate into the small hole of Thor's armour, and he could feel the blood stream out of his body, colouring Loki's pale hand red, as the dagger was being pushed deeper and deeper in Thor's flesh. Thor screamed and Loki saw his mouth moving, trying to tell his brother something, but Loki could not hear him. He was deaf and blind to everything but the red flow.

He dragged out the dagger quick and easy, and as he let go of Thor's throat he saw the light leave his adoptive brother's for the last time.

_Don't cry, _he told himself. _Only weak people cry, and the God of Mischief is not weak._

Blinking away the tears, he raised up again and stow away Thor's heavy corpse from the centre of the fight.

Loki looked at his army; a mixture of frost giants from Jotunheim, swart elves from Svartalfheim, dwarfs from Nidavellir, and Asgardians that had switched side in the heat of battle. Those who tried to fight back had either been killed or taken as prisoners. Against Loki's soldiers they did not stand a chance.

"That's enough!", he commanded. "Leave 500 men to kill those who haven't accepted the new king of Asgard yet and to make sure the prisoners don't escape. Guard the realm while I'm gone."

"Yes, my king.", one of the elves said with a slight bow.

"The rest of you come with me!"

_There will be songs written about this day_, he thought with a smile when they walked out of the castle. He didn't look at Thor, afraid that the sight of the person that he has once loved more than anything else, lying dead because of him, would make him hesitate in his plans.

He was almost at the gate, when a woman yelled after him, with her voice dripping with anger and scorn.

"You're not going to be able to take earth, you do know that, Loki! The Avengers will stop you just like the last time!"

Loki turned around. The voice belonged to Sif, who was held back by two giants that seemed to have trouble with her despite their size. Sif had been a friend of his many years ago, or at least Thor's friend, but the look in her eyes told him that all that was forgotten and now there was only hate left, so much hate...

Loki sneered at her.

"Oh my dear Sif", he said, "I'm not going to earth."

He nodded to the frost giant next to him. "Kill her."

Then he walked out of the door, not listening to the sound of an arm being ripped off and Sif's death cry, with his army following him over the rainbow bridge like a herd of puppets.

It was time for him to find himself a queen.

**DAENERYS **

Far, far away from Asgard, in a city called Pentos of the Free Cities, Viserys Targaryen and his younger sister Daenerys were staying at Illyrio Mopatis' manse as guests, and had been so for a couple of weeks. It was getting late and Daenerys had just got out of a hot bath, when Viserys barged in with the news.

Dany stared at her brother.

"W-what?", she managed to stutter.

She was in shock. Viserys was cruel sometimes, but he was the only family she had got left, the only one who cared about her even a little bit. Not even he could be so heartless that he would...

"Dany, don't you understand?" Viserys looked at her with his bright, grey eyes; the same colour as hers. "He's too powerful, we will never be able to take the crown from him. _But, _if we join him, we will both have more money than father ever had, and you will rule this world together with him as his queen while I have a place in his court..."

"But I thought you were going to marry me off to one of the dothrakis!", she tried to protest, but Viserys just snorted at her.

Dany had never met Loki Laufeyson, but the things she had heard about him was not very pleasant. He was a God in human form, but not one of the Gods that she used to pray to as a little girl, but a cruel, dark trickster that had come to this world to make them all kneel before him. If he was searching for a queen, every woman in the entire kingdom were probably hiding indoors as they spoke.

Viserys looked down at her with disdain.

"The dothrakis are savages, they can't even use a fork correctly, how in seven hells would they be able to give me an army big enough to defeat a God? Sister, this is our great chance. You _will _marry this man, do you understand?", he said sharply.

_Your great chance, not mine_, she thought but she didn't say anything.

"You better watch your words when you meet your new king", Viserys sputtered. "I have already sent him a message, so he'll come and look at you tomorrow morning. You should thank me, little sister, for giving you this opportunity."

Compared to the life that she would most likely live next to Loki, a life in in poverty and a mad brother was to prefer according to Daenerys. She did not remember anything from her life as a princess in Westeros as she was not yet born when the War of the Usurper started, and she had never felt very tempted by the stories that Viserys used to tell her about The Red Keep and high lords and princesses and valyrian steel and clothes made of fabric light as a feather... All that was before her time and she did not want it back the same way that Viserys did.

But of course Dany wouldn't tell her brother that.

"Thank you, brother", she said low. "Please forgive me for my behavior."

Maybe Loki wouldn't even like her once he saw her. After all, she was only thirteen years old and still a virgin who had life her whole life on the streets. How would she be able to rule a kingdom?

Viserys smiled coldly.

"That wasn't so hard, was it? Now go to bed, I want you to look rested tomorrow."

Dany nodded and Viserys walked out of the room again, with the silver-blonde hair flowing after him.

Dany sighed. Viserys had always talked about marrying her to someone rich and powerful so he could take back what was rightfully his; the Iron Throne. But Viserys always talked and talked about things that he would do, but he never did, except for this time. Daenerys felt a dull ache in her stomach.

She didn't call for her handmaidens but dressed herself in a silk nightdress with embroideries of dragons in the colours of the rainbow. She had made it herself during the one of the many uneventful days when the brother was busy talking to Magister Illyrio and had no use for her. If Dany looked at them close enough she could pretend the dragons were real.

A cold breeze made Dany shiver and she went to close the window. The night sky was jet black without a single star, and the people on the street had to hold candles in front of them to light up their way. Dany wished she had something to light up her way.

She drew the curtains and the room bathed in darkness, except for the brazier next to her bed, which fire lead her on her way to the bed.

Dany crawled underneath the cover and lied down on her stomach so she could hide her face in the pillow. She squeezed her eyes shut and let the world around her disappear.

The next day, one of the servants woke her up and started to make the table for breakfast in her room. When Dany asked why, he simply replied that her brother and Magister Illyrio were busy in the dining room and did not want to be disturbed.

She wrapped herself in a dressing gown and sat down to eat her egg, but no matter how much spices she added to it, it still tasted absolutely insipid and boring in her mouth. The bread turned to ashes, the juice was thick as blood and even the apples, her favourites from Illyrio's garden, became poison as soon as it touched her lips. After a while she gave up and just gazed out the window instead.

It was a beautiful day, with blue sky and no clouds. The fishing boats lied at the harbour just as the bigger ships did further away, and the market was flooded with customers already. The birds sang and the children laughed, the sailors hummed old songs and the women gossiped.

What a tragedy that she could not be with them.

The servant came back and removed the food, and a handmaiden brought her the dress she would wear for her meeting with Loki.

"Oh, it's gorgeous, m'lady", she said without hiding her excitement. The young girl, Tina, was pretty, with red hair and big, blue eyes and just a few years older than Dany, and during the weeks that Tina had been serving her, she liked to think that maybe they could've been friends, if Viserys had not forbid it. Too much of a risk if they had to flee again, he said.

"Let me see", Dany said, and with a smile Tina unfolded the dress for her.

It was a long and flowing, and grey to match her eyes. When she touched the fabric she noticed that it was way more transparent than most of the clothes she used to wear, and she realized that she was blushing.

_Stop it. You see half-naked women on the street all the time, there's nothing strange about it._

"It is beautiful", she agreed grudging. "It looks expensive, did my brother buy it?"

Tina shook her head.

"I believe it was a gift from Magister Illyrio, m'lady. Do you want me to help you to put it on?"

Another gift... Viserys said that the 'gifts' were Illyrio's duty to the rightful royal family, but Dany feared that Illyrio would require it all back one day.

"Yes, please", she said and began to undress.

During silent, Tina helped her with the dress. It was light and Daenerys could barely feel it touch her skin, but everytime she looked down she could see her own nipples right through it. It made her feel a bit uncomfortable but Tina didn't seem to care much.

The handmaiden must've noticed something was wrong because while she pinned the dress she said:

"I've heard he's very handsome."

Dany sighed.

"Yeah... maybe." No matter how attractive Loki was, he would be just as awful anyway.

Tina started to brush her hair with gentle hands.

"Oh m'lady, I'm sure it's going to be-"

She was interrupted by a robust knock on the door.

"He's here now, Dany, get out!", Viserys shouted. "We shouldn't keep him waiting!"

Dany could feel the panic increase inside her and how the heart started to beat faster.

_You are Daenerys Stormborn of house Targaryen. Be brave._

Tina smiled encouraging at her when she walked to the door.


	2. Green and Purple

_A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews on the previous chapter, they really mean a lot. Keep them coming, they're my inspiration!_

_I would also like to correct myself: Daenerys' eyes are of course _purple, _not grey, and I am so sorry for this mistake. I hope this won't bother you too much and when I mention them in the future they will be purple._

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**DAENERYS**

_Your brothers died for your future. Be brave like them._

Viserys held Dany's arm as she nervously awaited Loki'd arrival, and no matter how insane his eyes looked or how roughly he grabbed her, she was glad that he was with her. Through all the unknown faces that Daenrys had met during her constant escape from the Usurper, Viserys was always there, mad or not.

"Where is he?", Viserys asked Magister Illyrio, clearly annoyed. "I thought you said that his escort was here!"

"His escort, yes", Illyrio replied calmly, "but the God of Mischief arrives when it suits him, not when simple humans tells him to."

Loki's escort was indeed there, just maybe a hundred meters from her, with horses and banners. Some of them looked not so unlike herself; Dany suspected that they were elves, while others was as far from humanity as possible. She did not dare to look them in the eyes.

Viserys flared.

"When... when it suits... I am the blood of the dragon, and when Loki finally shows up I am going to tell him what it means to..."

Dany didn't listen to him any longer. This was just one more of Viserys' frustrated outbreaks, and as soon as he saw Loki he would kneel without hesitation, just like he always did. Her brother wasn't called The Beggar King for nothing.

Magister Illyrio's garden was beautiful, with green grass and peach trees, and stairs made of white marble. Dany had barely had any time to explore it as Viserys mostly kept her within doors once they found a place to stay, but now she looked around and saw things that was invisible for her from her bedroom window. Violet birds sat in the old trees, the bushes were full of berries, insects crawled around her feet, and the morning sunlight reflected Dany and Vieserys' bright hair so it looked like they were shining. For a short moment she actually felt like a princess.

"He's here, mylord!", Illyrio exclaimed after another few minutes, and in fear Daenerys couldn't help but take a step back and low her eyes, scared of what her fiancé would look like.

_What if he is a monster._

"What are you doing?", Viserys mumbled and pulled her back to his side. "You are to be his queen!"

"I can't", she whispered. "Brother please, don't..."

She just couldn't look at him, she didn't even know why. Something inside of her stopped her from raising her head and look at Loki. _Viserys is right. I am no true dragon._

Viserys dragged her even closer and breathed into her ear:

"Loki is one of the finest killers alive, do you understand, sweet sister? If you do not look at him now, he'll kill both of us without a word. He's going let his men rape your dead corpus, and then he will leave us on the street for the crows feast on our guts like we are nothing but plain peasants. Is that what you want, Dany, rather than using his powers on our enemies?"

_I have no enemies_, she thought. _They are nothing but villains in my old bedtime stories to me. _Viserys didn't expect an answer from her, and finished:

"Make me proud."

She heard horse hooves clink against the stone, and Illyrio introduced them to Loki:

"King Loki of Asgard, may I present you Viserys of house Targaryen, the Third of His Name and the rightful King of the Andals and the First Men, and his sister; Daenerys of house Targaryen, the First of Her Name."

Loki's horse stopped before her, and she could feel how he eyed her body, from her blonde, wavy hair down to her legs.

Dany swallowed and slowly looked up into her King and future husband's green eyes.

**LOKI.**

Her eyes were purple.

Purple as the sky at twilight, purple as a bruise on his younger selves' knee, purple as freshly picked grapes, purple as the rain in Asgard. Her long silver hair and the bust, that was easily seen through her transparent dress, were beautiful, although nothing remarkable. But once she met his gaze, he knew that he had found his queen. He couldn't but his finger on it, but something about Daenerys Targaryen was different from other humans.

"It's a pleasure to meet you", he said politely and smiled at Daenerys. "Would the princess and her brother like to join me for dinner tonight?"

He saw the look in Viserys Targaryen's eyes; he didn't seem very happy to simply be called 'the princess' brother'.

"Yes, we would-", he started.

"I didn't ask you", Loki disrupted and raised an eyebrow. Viserys glared at him, but did not protest.

_You're not the one who's going to be queen, are you?_

Loki looked back at Daenerys. She was absolutely shaking in fear, but she didn't look away.

"It would be a an honour, Your Grace", she faltered.

"Good", he said and smiled again, and he saw how Daenerys forced herself to do the same. It was the best to make her trust him now, because once they were married it would be too late for her to change her mind. "Do you sew, my princess? I would fancy if you could perhaps wear some of your work at dinner."

Daenerys opened her mouth, but Viserys answered in her place.

_Sweet lord, that lout is going to be the end of me._

"Your Grace, I'm afraid that my sister's embroidery aren't the best. We have been on the run for years, you see, and we haven't got much time for entertainment. Please don't judge us for-"

"I am judging you right now, Targaryen, so you better keep quiet if you want those lands that you were promised."

Viserys gaped at him, furious, and Daenerys glanced anxiously at her brother. He was most likely going to punish her as soon as Loki left, and the lack of Viserys' creativity made him roll his eyes. If you want to hit someone then at least make it a bit unpredictable.

"I'm sure that you will look very beautiful", he said to Daenerys, whose eyes immediately flickered back to his. "I'm looking forward to see you again."

He smirked, and with those words he turned the stallion around and rode back to his escort who waited just outside Illyrio Mopatis' garden. He heard Viserys grumble behind him, but Loki didn't bother to come back with a witty comment again. If he continued like that, Viserys would be held accountable for his crimes soon enough nevertheless.

They trotted back to their temporary camp in silence. His men were building a castle for him a few miles away, but it was too far away from the Targaryens, and Loki wanted to keep Daenerys as close as possible until the wedding.

Loki used to like the silence, it gave him time to think. When he grew up Asgard was always full of sounds: laughter, cheers, clatter of cutlery, combat training at the courtyard... Sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night just to enjoy the quietness. Everyone else was asleep, and he looked out of the window at Bifrost and Heimdahl and asked himself if there was a place for him somewhere beyond that, if his destiny was waiting for him in another world. When Loki told Thor about it, he just laughed at him and wondered if Loki had been smoking wormwood again, before he fell asleep again during thunderous snorings.

Now, silence scared him. He had too much of it. He didn't like when people disturbed him, but it was even worse when they left him alone with his mind. Because now he didn't have a rainbow bridge to light up his thoughts, it was all in darkness and he couldn't even see his own reflections anymore.

But of course he wouldn't tell anyone that. No one would follow a king who could not even follow himself.

"My King!"

Dineneth, a swart elf in Daenerys' age, hurried to his side when they reached the camp. Loki dismounted the horse and gave the reins to her.

"I want you to serve me and princess Daenerys and her brother tonight", he said as he threw his coat to another servant. "If you do a good job you might be her handmaiden when she's queen. Just make sure you're wearing something decent tonight, I don't want her to believe we're a horde of pigs."

"Yes, My King."

Dineneth disappeared into the stalls and Loki continued to his tent, which actually looked more like a small house than a tent. With a sigh he sat down in a green armchair.

_Just a few more days_, he told himself.

**DAENERYS**

Her back was burning red at the spot where Viserys had hit her. He had done it hard, harder than he had ever done before. It wasn't even her fault this time, he was just mad at Loki and since he couldn't beat _him, _Dany was the easiest one to express his feelings at. Tina had made an attempt to wash her, but Dany sent her away to do it herself instead.

The white towel was being coloured scarlet when she pressed it to her skin; she had been through worse though. But if Viserys saw any visible marks for their meeting with Loki, he would kill her.

Loki had been pretty nice to her, he even asked Viserys to keep his mouth shut so she could speak, but yet she was terrified of him. He was too perfect in a way; too charming, too good-looking, too cheerful. He didn't seem like the kind of man who planned to take over the world, and that frightened her. If he wore a mask, then how could she and Viserys know what she was marrying?

Dany had been surprised that Loki spoke the common tounge; most people she met these days did not, only Valyrian and languages that she didn't understand a word of. But, of course, a God should be able to speak whickever language he liked.

Viserys wasn't very fond of Loki, that was obvious. Loki treated him like a boy, not the true heir of Westeros, and that was below Viserys' expectations on the new king. Dany could still hear him curse Loki from downstairs.

Eventually she realized that she needed bandage and called Tina back in anyhow. Tina didn't say anything, just looked at her with compassion and cleaned off the blood with a washcloth, and for a moment Dany hated her, just like she hated all of the servants that felt sorry for her. It was the way it was, what did they pity matter? Sometimes Viserys even had the right to punish her, or that's at least what she told her.

She spent the rest of the day in her room, doing nothing really. What was there to do? Loki could probably not care less about her skills in calligraphy, and what Loki cared about was all of importance right then. Dany's stomach was aching, but Viserys didn't call her down for lunch, or tea, and she didn't dare to go and ask him. He was doubtless starving her so she would be able to eat liberally of Loki's food.

She was wondering what kind of meal he would offer them. What did Gods eat anyway? Did they even have a hunger to still, and was the word 'dinner' just an excuse to talk? She hoped not, because her stomach rumbled again.

In the late afternoon, Tina joined her again to help her pick something to wear. The handmaiden must have got strict orders from her brother, because most of Dany's dresses was being rejected at once. After ten minutes there was a pile of cloth on her bed. To Dany it did not really matter what she was wearing as long as her back wasn't exposed, which Viserys would still never allow.

The dress that she finally chose was the straight opposite to what she had worn in the morning: the cloth was dark in a shade of blue, and thick to cover the wound. Just as Loki had requested, it was made by her own hands. Dany was afraid that the bandage bulged out, but Tina convinced her that it didn't. Dany decided to put safety first and added a scarf to the shoulders before she went down the stairs to show Viserys that she was ready.

**LOKI**

The dwarfs were preparing the dinner when he passed the tent. He peered into the kitchen and was filled with rage of what he saw.

"What the fuck are you doing?!", he growled and marched in. The cooks flinched and one of them dropped his sausepan with a loud clash. "You can't serve humans that!" He pointed at a pan with fried slugs and at a bowl with raw potatoes. "Just because boors like you eat it doesn't mean that more civilized creatures do!"

Loki snapped his fingers and the food vanished.

"Start over, and if it's not better next time you'll pay for it, you louse!"

The chef stared at him and Loki shook his head at him before he left.

_Not even my own men know how to behave, _he thought grouchy.

Dineneth and a few other elf girls scurried past him with plates and decorations in their hands on the way to his residence, with their eyes focused to not let anything fall. When they saw Loki they murmured their usual polite phrases, but Loki didn't answer them. Why would he? He was their king.

His page, a young frost giant named Llyrtmlor, came up to him to let him know that his robes were ready if he wanted to get ready for princess Daenerys visit.

When Loki first met Llyrtmlor, he had reminded him a lot of himself, even if Llyrtmlor had blue skin and red eyes and was basically a monster in most people's eyes. If Loki had been raised with his birth parents, would that be him? Would he even be able to do trickery or would he just be another freak?

Llyrtmlor was the nicest giant Loki had ever met, he doubted that he had ever killed a fly, and he was smart and did his job well, so Loki tried to not be too harsh with him. He barely understood himself why.

"Good, he said. "I'll be there in a minute."


	3. The Camp

_A/N: I'm terribly sorry for taking so long, this month has really been tough for me. I promise you won't have to wait as long is the future! Huge thank you to GoTDance45 who is going to beta-read this story for me.  
_

_I hope you like it! x_

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**DAENERYS**

Daenerys and Viserys entered Loki's camp in a palanquin, carried by Magister Illyrio's slaves and guarded by large men in armour. Dany wondered dimly if Loki would find it impudent that they didn't trust him enough to visit him without guards, but Viserys was already in a bad mood so she didn't ask him.  
When her brother had seen her dress he was not happy.

"No one wants to marry a girl that doesn't show off her body, you little idiot," he said and put on his mantle; a velvet blue fabric that intensified the violet in his eyes. "You look like one of the silent sisters, not a queen!"

"But Viserys, this is one of my best dresses...", she tried to protest.

"Not good enough, is it?!", he screamed and the saliva spouted from his mouth. "Never mind, we don't have time now. And you better act obedient tonight!"  
He roughly pushed aside a servant and marched out of the door. Tina looked at Dany. "It's okay, don't worry about me", she murmured and followed her brother out of the door.

Dany sighed in pain and carefully nestled into the soft silk cushions. Her back was still sore but she tried not to let Viserys see it.  
Viserys drank greedily of the wine Illyrio had given them, and Dany looked at him as he filled the cup for the sixth time with Dornish summerwine. Dany herself settled with water. She needed to be awake for the meal with her future husband.

The slaves stopped, and she peered out throught the curtains as they put the palanquin down. A pale girl with black hair and forest green eyes looked back at her.

"My lady", she hurried to say and curtsied. "His Highness Loki has sent me to escort you and lord Viserys to his tent, if it please you." She had a strong accent with rolling r's which reminded Dany of High Valyrian.

Dany noticed something sparkling on the girl's back. After a few seconds she realized that it was wings; paper thin, wide, black wings. For a moment she couldn't help but stare at them, until Viserys stepped down on the ground and grinned at the girl.

"And who are you?", he asked snottily. "Loki's whore? I hope you're open for some variation, I've always wanted to try out an elf."  
Dany gazed at her to see how the she reacted. To her surprise, the girl looked up at Viserys and answered shortly:

"My name is Dineneth, if it please my lord. I will be lady Daenerys' handmaiden during her stay. If it's a whore you desire I fear that you'll have to return to Pentos, my lord."

Viserys stared coldly at Dineneth, but she ignored him and helped Dany down from the palanquin instead. Her skin was ice cold when it touched Dany and she flinched.

"No need to be afraid, my lady", Dineneth said kindly. "I grew up in a very cold place, so my body can't adapt to Westeros' climate for many years, I fear. This way, my lady."

"Hey, you!", Viserys said from behind. "I am Viserys Targaryen, the rightful king of Westeros, and I refuse to be spoken to like that from some common slut!"  
Dany bit her lip. She was used to how Viserys constantly scolded at her, but she felt uncomfortable when he kicked up a row in public. She saw how he must look like in the eyes of others; insane, confused, lost. Son of the Mad King. And now he was drunk as well.

Dineneth turned. "My lord, I told you. This is not a whorehouse. If you have a problem with that I'm sure king Loki will be able to help you some way..."  
"I am the king!", Viserys yelled and took a step closer. "Give him a fancy crown, give him the Iron Throne, give him my bloody sister; the only daughter of Aerys II Targaryen and my heir, but I will still be king, and no freaks from outer space can tell me differently! Loki is a nothing but a -"

The next thing thing happened so fast that Dany barely could see it, but in less than a second Viserys lied on the ground with four of Loki's guards around him, and Dineneth glared at him with bright, angry eyes. Her wings pattered furiously against her back.

"Your sister may be a queen", she said, "but you are no king, my lord. Don't talk about things you don't know."

"Is there a problem?"

Dany didn't need to turn her head to see who the voice belonged to. She stared empty in front of herself, afraid of facing him.

Loki looked over Dineneth's shoulder and down at Viserys, who still lied there like a little child. Dany almost felt sorry for her brother.

"Your Grace", Dineneth said, "Lord Viserys was being disrespectful to you. I was only following orders."

Loki sighed

"I had not expected anything else. Guards, let him go, but keep an eye on him during the dinner. Lucky I happened to pass this road just when things were getting nasty." Even if Dany didn't see him, she could hear Loki smirk.

The guards lowered their spears, and Viserys carefully stood up. He showed up a confident face to Loki, but Dany saw his hands shaking under his sleeves. She didn't feel very brave herself.

"Your Grace", he tried and smiled. "There must've been an misunderstanding. I would never talk bad about you: Westeros' saviour from the Usurper."  
"Don't," Loki said. "It is not your blessing I want, only a queen and a kingdom."

He looked at Dany. She took a breath before she looked back. His eyes seemed even greener than the last time they met, but maybe it was the light that fooled her. It was almost sunset already. "My lady, how nice to see you again. Your dress is very pretty, I must say. Did you make it yourself, as I wished?"  
Dany nodded and pushed up the bust like Viserys had told her to do. You have a woman's body now, he said, show that. She felt rather ridiculous with the cleavage up in her face.

Loki smiled and showed off a blending white row of teeth.

"Good. Dineneth, would you please help lady Daenerys up on a horse and lead her to my tent. Lord Viserys can walk, after lying around on the ground there is no way he can possibly become any dirtier."

Viserys gaped in shock at Loki. Even though he and Dany had lived in poverty for many, many years, they had always been treated like a prince and a princess whenever they visited a lord's house.

But Loki was not from Westeros, and the name Targaryen meant nothing to him. Dany and Viserys were not different from other humans.  
"Of course, Your Grace", Dineneth said and curtsied. "And what about you?"

"I will ride after you, I want a word with lord Viserys first. Just make sure Daenerys reaches the tent safely. "

"As you command, Your Grace."

Dineneth took Dany's hand once again, but this time she didn't flinch. It was more cool than cold after a second thought. Dineneth helped her up on a brown gelding and grabbed the reins to lead her through the camp. The wings fluttered peacefully and when Dineneth fed the horse with a carrot, Dany wondered how this could be the girl who had just confronted Viserys. She had lived with her brother for thirteen years; in castles, at pubs, even on the street, but Dany had never questioned his actions. How could a complete stranger stand up to him when it was all that herself had been trying to avoid all these years? She understood that Loki would not tolerate Viserys behaviour, because Loki was king now and Viserys had to obey him, but Dineneth was nothing but a simple servant. How come she was so brave when she, princess Daenerys Stormborn of house Targaryen, daughter of king Aerys II and queen Rhaella, was not?  
Her stomach squirmed when she thought about Loki. He was so nice to her, so well-mannered, like the princes in the songs the troubadours in Pentos used to sing. But as soon as he saw Viserys he changed.

Dany could not get the hang of her future husband, neither why he invited her for dinner. If it was a queen he wanted, then here she was. It would be time for buffets and wine after their wedding. She was nothing, that was one of the things that Viserys had taught her since she was a little child. Viserys must've asked for very little in exchange for her as Loki had chosen to come to them and not some other noble family in the Seven Kingdoms. She knew Eddard Stark had two daughters, but at second thought she realized that he was too loyal to the Usurper to betray him. Viserys hated Robert Baratheon with all his heart, so to persuade him to start a rebellion wouldn't be very hard.

After a while she couldn't stand to be alone with her own thoughts anymore.

"Where do you come from?", she asked.

Dineneth seemed sweet and she wanted to think about something else than the dinner for a while.

Dineneth looked up and smiled at her.

"Svartalfaheimr, my lady", she replied.

"And Loki?"

"Loki is from Asgard, my lady, the capital of the Nine Worlds."

"The Nine Worlds?" Daenerys had never heard of such a place before.

Dineneth nodded.

"Yes, my lady. The Nine Worlds all look different and are all populated by different creatures. Asgard is the realm of the gods, and it is there the royal family lives."

"So what do your people call this world?"

"It lies outside the Nine Worlds, but it reminds me a lot of Midgard; the realm of humans, my lady. His Highness seems to like it very much. If you marry him I could teach you about the other worlds, if it would please you."

"It would, thank you", Dany said and smiled at her. Dineneth smiled back, until she suddenly stopped the horse outside a huge tent; the largest tent Dany had ever seen. It looked more like a house and even had pillars, and outside the door two giants stood and looked at everyone who passed with their red, atrocious eyes. She fidgeted.

"Don't be afraid, my lady", Dineneth said once again and helped her down. "It's only frostgiants, from Jotunheim. They may seem frightening, but as long as you are under Loki's protection they won't hurt you, I promise."

Dany nodded and forced herself to not look at the frostgiants. She felt something creepy in her neck and hurried inside the tent with Dineneth close behind.  
The tent was dusky, with a sparkling fire in the corner and a thick rug lying under a long dining table made of a material she didn't recognize. It smelled a bit strange, but not in a bad way; foreign herbs and incense. Behind some drapes she could catch a glimpse of another room, perhaps a bedroom.

"L-lady Targaryen?"

She looked up and found a pair of red eyes staring at her, the same as those she had just tried to avoid. At first she was scared, but the boy looked so kind and harmless it didn't last for long. He had the same blue skin and and the same red eyes as the guards outside, but except of that they couldn't be more unlike. He was shorter and the eyes were bigger and more innocent, like a deer's. Dany guessed that he wasn't full-grown yet, maybe in her own age.

"Yes?"

"My name is Llyrtmlor, my lady, and I am His Highness' page", the boy said. "He asked me to make sure you were comfortable before he arrived."

He didn't have the same accent as Dineneth, but didn't speak the common tounge as perfect as Loki either.

"I can't see any conveniences", Dineneth objected. "Me, Meldiriel and Shinala carried in a lot of candles, plaids and cutlery earlier today, but where is the food? Or are they supposed to break the fast with smoke?"

Llyrtmlor blushed.

"It's just in the next room, I thought that..."

"Well, Loki will be here any minute, so you better put them back again, right?"

Dany felt bad for him when he hurried out of the tent, tripping on his big feet. Dineneth wouldn't have needed to be so harsh on him.

"I'm sure he didn't intend to be rude", she tried.

Although she only spoke to a servant, Dany mumbled the words and stared down at her feet, even if she actually knew that Dineneth couldn't hit her, no matter what she said.

To her surprise Dineneth looked rather amused. "Please excuse me, my lady, but Llyrtmlor needs all the help he can get. I don't understand why His Grace keeps him, he's the worst page I have ever seen, if my lady doesn't mind."

They heard noises outside the tent; a horse's snorting and words in a language she did not know. Llyrtmlor tried to talk to someone in the common tongue, but he didn't seem to listen. Dany didn't doubt for a second that 'someone' in this case was Viserys.

"I'm sure Loki has a purpose", she heard herself say to Dineneth and nervously wet her lips. "He is our saviour and one true king after all, and the king is always right. My brother has told me that."

"Your brother is right, my lady", Dineneth said politely, but she didn't seem impressed. "The king is always right, or else he would not be king. The people would not allow a false king."

_They allowed the Usurper._

"My brother said that Loki was sent to us for a reason, to save Westeros", Dany continued just to keep the conversation going. Now she heard Loki's voice outside the tent as well, demanding his soldiers to take care of his horse. Viserys was quiet, but she knew her older brother and she knew that Visery's silence was not a good sign. What had Loki told him? "Robert Baratheon ruined the realm after the rebellion and left nothing but a shadow to remember from the times when the dragonlords ruled. A god on the Iron Throne would make us the most powerful kingdom in this world again."

Dineneth smiled.

"I hope you understand that king Loki won't sit on the Iron Throne for long, my lady", she said. "He may stay here for weeks, months, maybe even years, but his place is at Asgard. The king came here to find you and more people to kneel before him. People is power, my lady. But don't worry, if you are his queen he will take you to with him to Asgard, if it pleases you."

_It does not please me_, she thought, but didn't say anything out loud. Dany had already talked more to Dineneth than she should with servants. She wondered if Loki would take Viserys with them to Asgard. She wet her lips again.

Someone entered the tent, and for a moment Dany cringed and shifted closer to Dineneth, but it was only Llyrtmlor again. He cleared his throat.

"My lady, let me present you king Loki of Asgard, god of mischief, and soon Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and King of the Andals and the First Men."

Dany swallowed.


	4. Phoenix Soup

_A/N: Here's chapter 4! I hope you like it. I know that things are getting a bit slow now in the first chapters, but once they've got married more things will start to happen :)_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**LOKI**

"Llyrtmlor! Is everything ready?"

Llyrtmlor stopped so heavily in his rush towards the tent that he almost fell over. Loki waited patiently while he regained his balance.

"Yes, Your Grace," he said and bowed clumsily. "I was just in the kitchen and the dinner is ready to be served."

Loki smirked.

"Let's hope that the dwarf's cooking skills have improved since I inspected them, then."

The corners of Llyrtmlor's mouth twitched uncertainly. "And where is the princess?"

"In the tent, Your Grace, with a servant."

"Lovely. Wold you go and tell her that -"

He silenced when he heard stumping footsteps and panting breaths behind him. _My beloved brother-in-law, obviously._

"That exercise isn't going very well, is it, Targaryen?", he jeered.

Viserys didn't answer but just kept panting until he finally reached Loki and Llyrtmlor. He bent down and for a moment Loki feared that he was about to throw up, but a few seconds later he straightened up again and pushed aside his hair from the vermillion face. He avoided making eye contact with Loki.

Llyrtmlor looked slightly disgusted. Loki could not blame him.

"Does my lord wish anything? Perhaps some water before the dinner?", Llyrtlmor asked.

Viserys pursed his lips and nodded. Loki was glad that he didn't open the mouth, who knew what might come out if he did.

"You", he said in the language of the Nine Worlds and stopped a dwarf that just passed them, "go get a cup of water for Lord Targaryen. It would be a shame if he fainted before he even got the chance to taste the starter."

_Or maybe not._

"Yes, my king." The dwarf scurried away on his short legs and Loki turned to his page again.

"Llyrtmlor, as I was about to say before we got interrupted: would you go and announce my arrival for lady Daenerys?"

"Of course. Your Grace", he added quickly and nervously bowed again. Loki watched him.

"Well off you go!"

Llyrtmlor walked into the tent and Loki saw him fumble with his cheat sheet of Loki's titles, which he always carried with him. If it was another servant, Loki would've yelled at him and put him in the library until he knew the titles of all Asgardian kings, but now he pretended that he didn't see. The boy worked hard and Loki felt good having him around. Safe, almost like he had once felt about Thor.

But Thor betrayed Loki, just as Loki betrayed Thor, and now his adoptive brother was to spend the rest of his days in Valhalla, a place where Loki could never reach him. Not even after his own death Loki would be able to see him again, because Valhalla only accepted brave warriors and heroes, and Loki was no hero, no matter what Viserys Targaryen told his sister, or he was no warrior, no matter how many times Thor said so. He was a king, and kings were no saints. They sacrificed things.

For less than a second a memory flashed before him: Thor's scream as his blood stained Loki's clothes with red, the thick sound of a knife through human flesh, azure eyes that slowly died...

"I will leave you now," he suddenly said to Viserys to push away his memories."You may enter the tent when you look more... appropriate. I don't want our sweet princess to see her brother like this."

Viserys opened his mouth to say something, but Loki continued: "Don't say you've already forgotten our little chat, have you? Don't push it, Targaryen. I'm warning you."

Viserys looked at him. They were almost in the same height, so their eyes met.

"Yes... my king", Viserys said after a few seconds of silence without taking the purple eyes, so similar to his sister's, from Loki.

"You can trust me."

"Oh, we'll see about that", he sneered, before he followed Llyrtmlor into the tent and left Viserys alone with the giant guards.

At first he didn't see her, but he sensed a smell that wasn't there before: something light, flowery, innocent, humanly. It contrasted well to the darker and more powerful scents from the Nine Worlds: like a flower in the desert. Loki could easily get used to that.

"My king,"he heard a female voice say.

Daenerys appeared from the shadows, dressed in a dark, thick dress. It covered most of her body except of the upper chest, and the soft fabric conformed to her body and made her womanly curves visible. Loki felt how he got hard.

"Please call me Loki, my princess", he said and walked up to her. He took her hand and kissed it gently, and Daenerys blushed and curtsied like a true lady. It surprised him that Viserys had taught her to behave such, as Viserys himself behaved like a Bilchsteim.

"I'm afraid your brother is a little tired after his walk", he continued, "but he will join us in no time. Shall we sit?"

Loki took place at the high seat, and Dineneth grabbed Daenerys' arm and led her to the chair on his right side. He noticed that she moved carefully, and when she sat down she clenched her teeth, as in pain. He highly suspected that it was Viserys' works, but didn't share his thoughts with Daenerys. Viserys had already got his warning, if he decided to ignore it in the future he'd have himself to blame.

"Daenerys," he said, " have you ever tasted the flesh of a Phoenix?"

She shook her head.

"No, I haven't, Your Gra- I mean, Loki."

He smiled at her and put a hand on her thigh under the table. Daenerys froze, obviously uncomfortable, but he let it be.

"You are going to love the main dish, trust me, my dear princess," he said instead and winked at her. She blushed deeply again. Loki looked at her for a few moments, before he clapped his hands at Dineneth and commanded:

"Dineneth, go get the food! I want to be ready when lord Targaryen, finally, finds his way into my tent."

"Yes, Your Grace." She left.

Daenerys stayed silence, didn't even cough or nervously chattered her teeth. After a while Loki felt forced to remove his hand from her leg. If it ever became necessary, he could wait to molest her until their wedding night. He needed to win her trust first.

"You are allowed to speak, you know", he said to her. "After all we are supposed to be betrothed."

Daenerys seemed embarrassed and started fingering with her hair. Loki watched as the bright hair ran through her hands; it reminded him of white, spun gold. _His golden queen..._

"Please forgive me, Loki. I just... I'm not sure what to talk about."

"Don't be shy, I won't get mad at you."

Loki knew that Daenerys had been getting shouted at her whole life, just because she asked a question or said her opinion, but a queen had no time to be insecure or scared. She would be loyal, not afraid.

"Actually... ," she began and looked up at him. She took a deep breath and met his gaze. "I have been wondering... If we really are to get married, when will the wedding be?"

Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Why? So you'll know if you have enough time to run away from me or not?"

Daenerys looked away. Loki laughed.

"I'm only joking with you, sweetheart. Within a week, if everything would go as planned."

Daenerys stared down at her hands, and they heard a sound outside the tent. "That must be your brother. I hope you're hungry."

**DAENERYS **

A week. No longer than that?

She finished her cup of wine; a red, soft sort with a taste that reminded her of honey, grapes and cinnamon, and Dineneth was there in a second to give her more.

Dany wasn't sure what she had been expecting, perhaps a month or maybe two. And what would she have done with those months anyway, worrying even more for no good?

She poked in her phoenix soup. It was more spicy and tender than usual chicken meat, and to be honest she wasn't very fond of it, but ate it anyway. Viserys looked disapprobative at her from across the table when she stirred with the spoon, like if he tried to tell her to stop without actually saying it aloud. Loki often joked with Viserys (and even more often on Viserys' expense), but they still didn't seem to like each other very much. Her brother kept as quiet as possible around Loki.

Along with the soup, they had been served shrimps in the size of a crab, dipped in a creamy sauce, orange fromage, cheese made of donkey milk, tons of sweet, unknown fruit, and for dessert awaited a saffron and vanilla cake. Dany had not eaten saffron for at least ten years, and vanilla for six, because no matter how welcome she and Viserys were at the high lord's houses, they were never important enough to be offered expensive food.

"Don't you like the soup, my princess?"

Dany felt Loki's hand against her arm and she stopped moving the spoon around. His long fingers rested at her forearm and was cold in contrast to her warm skin, and she could almost feel her blood freeze in its veins. Her heart beat faster and to her surprise, Dany found herself enjoying his touch.  
She saw Viserys staring at her, first at her arm and then back to her face.

Wasn't this what you wanted, brother? But Viserys' face was everything but pleased.

"No, Loki," she said and tried to focus at their conversation. "I just... I was thinking about something else."

Loki chuckled and removed his hand. Dany's blood started to flow again, like when you melt butter after it's been kept cold for weeks. She had never felt something like that before and fascinated watched her skin as it returned to its original colour. She ogled at Loki and understood that he must've experienced the same thing.

But Loki didn't mention it, or made it clear in any way that he had felt anything at all.

"We must be very boring for such a wonderful and talented princess, right, Targaryen?," he said and smiled at Viserys. "I suppose you're not the one who has taught her to work with the needle? No offense, my lord, I bet you are very good at needlework."

Dany couldn't help but giggle, and Loki looked approvingly at her. Viserys smiled politely and emptied another cup of wine.

After the dinner, Dany and Viserys was given a tent to spend the night in. It was smaller than Loki's, but still a lot bigger than most of the residences in the camp.

Dany was referred to a large bed with a mattress filled with feathers, whilst Viserys was told to sleep on the floor next by. He swore loudly and tucked himself under a green plaid.

Dineneth helped her to undress and glanced at Viserys when she saw the wound. She carefully touched it.

"We'll take care of that tomorrow," she promised quietly to not bother Viserys and changed the bandage. She also gave her a bowl of milk of the poppy before she courtesied and said, "Goodnight, my lady. Goodnight, my lord."

"Goodnight, Dineneth," Dany said, but Viserys didn't answer.

She lied down in her bed and closed her eyes. The sun had barely set, but she was already so tired... she had almost fallen asleep, when Viserys suddenly said:

"You will get married in two days, sweet sister."

Dany quickly opened her eyes again and turned around in bed so she faced her brother.

"What?!," she whispered. "But... I thought... he told me the wedding would be in a week!"

"_Within_ a week, Dany, not _in_ a week. Gods, you are so stupid sometimes. It's obvious that the only reason Loki wants you is that you are so easy to fool."

Dany watched him. Viserys tried to act just as sniffy as usually towards her, but she saw that there was something more this time. It made her think of when they were younger and he let her sleep in his bed, or when he told her bedtime stories and how they rule the Seven Kingdoms together.

Of course, that was before the time he got obsessed with the fact that he was the rightful heir.

"You are my sister," he said, "no matter how childish or stupid you are, you are still my sister, and I don't want you to marry someone like that!"

"And why not, may I ask? You planned to sell me to the dothraki for weeks -"

"Loki is not a dothraki", Viserys sputtered furiously. "He is not some savage, he is a god and a trickster! You don't understand how dangerous he is, Dany."

Dany no longer cared about the consequences, if Viserys wanted to hit her then so be it. He was still wrong.

"You are the one who don't understand, brother. Loki is nice to me, he won't use his powers against us."

Viserys grinned.

"That's what you think? Then enjoy, sweet sister. I won't stop you."

He turned away from her and nestled into the plaid as an end of the discussion. Dany stared at him. What had she done?

"Viserys, please," she said. "Viserys, I'm sorry."

He didn't answer. _What had she done? What she done?_

She hated Loki. She feared him. Viserys was right, they were both better off without him. Why did she defy him? She didn't understand.

She lied down again stared into the darkness. Loki is nice to you, she told herself. He won't hurt you. You are right, Viserys is not.

Dany had not prayed to the Seven since she was a little child, but before she fell asleep that night she whispered a name to the Maid:  
_"Loki, Loki, Loki." _


	5. Fire and Ice

_A/N: Hi again, everyone! Here's chapter five, I hope that you'll enjoy it. Beta'd by GoTDance45 once again. xx_

* * *

**LOKI**

Loki walked through one of the castle's many secret passages in Asgard, silent with a candle in his hand. The flame flickered when he passed a crack in the walls, and Loki hurried past it before his skin turned blue.

As a boy he had learned Asgard's corridors by heart, and this one was his favourite, because it led to Thor's room. When they turned twelve, Thor and Loki got separate bedrooms, but they usually snuck into each others rooms anyway, so they could lie awake and talk for hours before they finally fell asleep. If Loki ever had a nightmare, he knew where to go, just as Thor did. Odin and Frigga probably knew what was going on, but never said anything. If they forbid it, the brothers would just have found another way. They needed each other, even at night.

As the years passed, they stopped visiting each other after midnight. They never decided to end their meetings, they just stopped. When Loki looked back at it, he wondered why. Sure, they grew up and got lives of their own, as people do, but there were nights when Loki felt lonely and missed Thor's snoring next to him. Had Thor ever felt the same?

Even though he hadn't walked through this corridor for fifteen years, Loki knew exactly which part of the floor that creaked, or how many steps he had to take before he was past Alfrún's bedroom, one of the nannies who took care of the children at court. How could he not, after all those times he had avoided her observing eyes in here?

Eventually he reached the end of the passage. Loki pushed the second brick from the left with his shoe, and the wall slowly started moving. The bricks were pushed aside so it created a narrow opening, just big enough for Loki to squeeze through.

The room was bathed in darkness, except for the fireplace that crackled homely and the night sky with all its dazzling, white stars. It was as if something warm spread around his heart, and for the first time in many years, Loki felt welcome.

Thor sat in the window, just like Loki had seen him do so many times before, but it wasn't the same Thor that he had fought against at the battle of Asgard, not the same Thor that had looked at him with compassion before the light in his eyes died away. No, this was Thor the way he had once been before things started going wrong, and it was a little boy who looked up at him when Loki silently closed the wall behind him.

"Loki, come!," he smiled and pointed at the empty spot opposite himself.

Loki hesitated for a second before he walked towards the window. Thor looked so happy, he didn't want to ruin it. It was such a long time ago either of them had been truly happy.

He sat down in the window; he could no longer have his legs up as Thor had, and it felt like if his heart would break. What would he not do, to make the clock reverse and get the chance to be young with Thor again and make things right?

But it was too late for that. It had always been too late.

"What is it, Thor?," he asked.

"Look!"

Little Thor looked up at the night sky with fascination and Loki followed his brother's eyes. An asteroid fell somewhere far away, which wasn't an unusual sight from Asgard's windows, but as Loki looked closer something seemed wrong with this one. After a while he realized that it slowly turned into blue, like if it froze on its way down to ground.

"Father says that when an asteroid turns blue it's too close to Jotunheim," Thor explained. "It's so cold there that no fire can burn, so the ice embraces the asteroids' flames before it has even landed."

Loki had never heard Odin say such, but, of course, Odin never told him anything about Jotunheim, so he just nodded and answered shortly:

"The cold and the heat have always been enemies."

Thor looked at him with his big, blue eyes, stared into Loki's soul the way only he could, and said seriously:

"Some say the world will end in fire, others say in ice. What do you say, brother?"

* * *

Loki woke up so violently that he almost fell out of bed. He breathed heavily and tried to calm himself down, which did not work very well.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._

The night before he asked the camp's nurse for something to get rid of his dreams, and he offered him essence of nightshade; a substance that the rich in Westeros sometimes used. In large doses it was deadly, but three drops in a cup of wine would be just enough to create a deep, dreamless sleep, she said. Loki trusted her and drank his cup right before he went to bed, but the dream had been even worse tonight... so much more intense and... _real._

He heard footsteps outside and Llyrtmlor saying with his usual broken voice:

"Your Grace, is everything alright? I thought I heard a noise."

"Bring me a bottle of water, please," he called back and rubbed his eyes, as if the dream was still there, inscribed inside of his eyelids.

In the day Loki could usually keep himself busy to keep Thor out of his head, but after he entered the world of dreams he could no longer control his thoughts. He was always there; centered or in the background, judging him in one way or another. Loki had seen too much of that disappointed look already; from Odin, Frigga, Thor, Laufey, from everyone. He did not want it to follow him even in his dreams.

He fought his way out of bed and wrapped himself in a warm robe, but he realized that he was still sweating after the gusty wake up so he unbuttoned it again before he settled down in the armchair with shaking legs.

_Some say the world will end in fire, others in ice... _where had he heard that before?

When Llyrtmlor came with the water a few minutes later, Loki asked him about it while he quenched his thirst with deep gulps.

Llyrtmlor's mouth opened and closed, obviously trying to remember what his teachers had taught him.

"Well?," Loki said impatiently.

Llyrtmlor sighed.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, I'm not completely sure... but I think it's from a poem from Midgard."

"From Midgard?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

Loki grimaced. He had nothing of bad experiences of Midgard; even when he was younger, it was always Thor that amazed the humans with his thunder and lightings, they just feared Loki and what his magic could be capable of. Oh, if they had only known...

He thought that Thor should be out of the way by now, but he was still with him in every decision he made. _Some say in fire, others in ice... _The ice was clearly a hint for Loki himself, but what about the fire? Was it Thor? Daenerys?

_It's just a stupid poem in a stupid dream. It doesn't have some hidden message, get over it._

"Are you sure you're okay, Your Grace? Should I get more water? You look so... distressed, if I may say."

Loki shook his head. Of some reason he couldn't even figure out himself, he _was _distressed, but Llyrtmlor had nothing to do with it.

"No, just... just help me to get dressed please."

* * *

Loki spent the rest of the day alone with Daenerys. Viserys had been sent back to Magister Illyrio's hold, since he would've just been in the way anyway. Loki did not dispatch him himself, but Dineneth told him that Viserys seemed furious and highly unwilling stepped inside the palanquin.

"Please forgive me Your Grace, but Lord Targaryen is very afraid of you, even if he does not show it well," she said when she carried out the remains of Loki's breakfast.

"That's good. If he wasn't, who knows what he could've done to the servants that carried the palanquin."

Dineneth smiled pitful.

"The princess is afraid of you too. Last night she whispered your name three times into her pillow."

Loki looked up.

"Why would she do such thing?"

"It's a prayer, Your Grace, for her gods. Forgive me, but she doesn't trust either you or her own feelings. If you want her to be a loyal queen you must change that."

He stopped for a second to think it over. He had definitely experienced something new yesterday when he touched Daenerys' arm; a warmth that filled his veins in a way it hadn't done for centuries. It scared him at first, and it must've scared her too as she obviously prayed to gods she knew didn't exist. Once again Loki was reminded of that his bride was different from the rest of her kind.

"And why should I take advice from a bootlicker like yourself?," he said, suddenly snotty. Lately he had been unnecessarily courteous to his servants, and that wasn't not how a true king should act. Loki blamed it on his nightmares with Thor. Thor had always had bad influence on him.

Dineneth curtsied politely.

"I'm very sorry if I offended you, Your Grace. But please keep in mind that I am also a woman, and I can imagine how Lady Daenerys must feel. You should go and take her for a walk, Your Grace, because nevertheless she finds you and your world interesting, and it would be a shame if a bootlicker like me told her all about it when you could do it so much better."

She smiled, curtsied again and left him.

It was a clear and sunny day, and Daenerys' hair glistened as it floated over her shoulders, draped in a thin shawl to protect her from the burning sun. Based on Dineneth's recommendations, Loki tried to teach her about the Nine Worlds while they walked through the camp.

"There are nine worlds, all unified by a big tree called Yggdrasil. That's the dwarfs, for example", he said and pointed at their tents close to the kitchen.

"They come from Nidavellir. It's almost identical to Svartalfheim, which Dineneth must've told you about?"

Daenerys did not answer. She didn't say much at all actually, only nodded or shook her head, and sometimes she said "Yes, Loki" or "No, Loki". As much how scared Loki understood that she must be, it started to get on his nerves. Targaryen was a significant house in Westeros, or at least was, and Daenerys must've inherited something from her strong, confident ancestors, but Viserys had ruined her so badly she might as well had been a simple farmer's daughter. There was only a very few times when she dared to raise her voice and speak her opinion.

He sighed and continued.

"You have obviously heard about the frostgiants from Jotunheim, Llyrtmlor and most of the guards are from there. Their skin is so blue because they are used to a very cold and dry weather. I myself was born in Jotunheim, but as I grew up in Asgard my body can much easier adjust to Westeros' climate. Asgard is the capital of the Nine Realms, and that's where the gods and the royal family lives."

Daenerys bit her lip as she wanted to say something but forced herself to hold it in. Loki noticed and it reminded him of the night before. How many questions did she kept secret to him?

"You wonder, my precious princess," he said and Daenerys hastily turned her head. Loki smiled at her.

"You are my bride-to-be, if you have any queries I beg you to please bother me with them."

Daenerys laughed jumpily.

"Oh, it's nothing really, I was just... no, it would be inappropriate to ask. I don't want you to think bad of me, Loki."

"With such a sweet face as yours, nothing could make me think bad of you."

He stopped and Daenerys blushed.

"It's not a suitable question for a young lady like me...," she started.

"I think I can handle it," he smirked ",Trust me, I've heard a lot of young ladies say things that are not very suitable for them."

Daenerys swallowed.

"I was wondering... if you're a god, can... can you still die?"

Loki looked at her. He had expected a silly question, maybe about sex or their future together, but to hear a little girl with silver-blonde hair and big, purple eyes talk about death was... bizarre, in a way. It shouldn't be, but it was, because Daenerys contained so much life and youth to Loki, that death shouldn't even be in her mind.

Loki chortled it away and slowly started walking again. Daenerys followed.

"Not caused by an innocent child like you, if that's what you want to know. But... yes, I can die."

Thor's dying scream flashed before him, and he heard the battle cries die away. "In the end, we must all die."

"And what happens then? When you die, I mean?"

"That depends on who you are, where you come from, which element you are: fire or ice."

Another flashback; Loki quickly blinked it away. They troubled him almost as much as the nightmares, because no matter how hard he tried, Thor did not go away. There was too many things in Loki's life that reminded him of his brother, and the life the two of them used to have together. "If you were kind, brave, justice, and ready to fight for the things you loved, Valhalla welcomes you with open arms. The rest of us has no other choice than spending forever in Hel. Most frostgiants and swart elves automatically goes to Hel after their death, simply because they don't belong to a very nice kind of creatures."

Something seemed to move in Daenerys' eyes. Loki began to wonder what all of sudden gave her enough courage to take part in their conversation, when she had been almost complete quiet for hours.

"My entire family died before I was even born", she said quietly ",Mother died after giving birth to me, so I basically killed her myself. Viserys is the only one I've ever had. Please forgive me, Loki, and I know that it's not appropriate for me to wonder about after-life, but-"

She silenced.

"Are you afraid of death, my princess?", Loki asked, and her answer came straight away without hesitation.

"No. I have no reason to be. _Valar Morghulis. _All men must die."

"All men must die, indeed", Loki repeated. "Your culture is very interesting as well, I must say, Daenerys. Would you like to show me the harbour, perhaps?"

Daenerys nodded and Loki grinned at her.

"It makes me happy that we finally have found something to talk about. I want us to be as close as possible, dearie."

He took her hand, and just like the day before, the feeling of burning ice filled him.


End file.
